The red thread that connects Segundo Plato, Mathew and Superlativa with Netmentora

The legend of the red thread, present in Chinese and Japanese mythology, says that people are connected by an invisible red thread that forms a kind of destiny between them. This thread was tied in the past by a god —the son of the Moon— to the little toe or ankle of two people who, being united by that thread, will be destined to love each other, whatever the moment, place or circumstance. The red thread speaks to us of faithful connections, which endure over time and do not depend on tensions, entanglements or third parties. And although many make a romantic reading of the legend, the metaphor of the red thread can be extrapolated to many other areas of human relationships. Even to the business fabric.

In fact, this is the interpretation that Netmentora has made in the fifth edition of the Impact Night, in which it wanted to show, with a creative staging at Casa Rius in Barcelona, "that the business future is woven in a network, and not alone."
The event, which brought together more than 200 business leaders, corporations, institutions and entrepreneurs, celebrated the recognition of four Impact Leaders and the maturity of a community that understands growth as a collective act of altruistic giving.

In a setting surrounded by those 200 attendees and by six columns wrapped in red threads, Netmentora has once again shown itself as a business community that bets on peer learning and shared knowledge. That bets on quality connections.

"The important thing is not how many contacts we have on LinkedIn, but how many people will be there for you without expecting anything in return," said the entity's director, Àlex Ribó. Marc Morillas, president of Netmentora Catalunya, expressed himself along the same lines: "Success is not immediate or individual: it happens when a community decides to share experience, time and commitment to grow companies and people."

The result of these connections and this network? Great support for the most incipient entrepreneurs and statistics that manage to reverse the reality of the entrepreneurial ecosystem: 85% of the companies that have been accompanied by this business community survive beyond five years.

The network has been working since 2012 "to foster entrepreneurial culture in Catalonia and generate spaces for knowledge exchange and support." Thirteen years later, it already has 350 leaders and mentor companies —among them PepsiCo, Heura, Lindt, Refruiting, Unilever or Alohas—, and is part of Réseau Entreprendre, the European network of business leaders present in 10 countries and 65 cities around the world.

Four Impact Leaders and an open sky ceiling

And although the red thread speaks to us, in part, of destiny, at the Impact Leaders gala nothing was written. The finalist startups presented their projects to the public, and the jury and attendees voted live for the winners, recognizing María Portabella (co-founder and CEO of Segundo Plato) in the ESG Impact category; Alan Fusté (co-founder and CEO of Mathew) in Disruption; and Teresa Pueyo (founder and CEO of Superlativa) in the From entrepreneur to businesswoman category.

In addition, this year a new special category has been incorporated, chosen by the board of directors: the Netmentora values Impact Leader, which has been awarded to Marc Ibós, co-founder and CEO of Talkual. The Catalan startup that fights against food waste has been part of the Netmentora network for five years and is a success story within the Catalan business fabric, which expects to culminate 2025 with 6.5 million euros in turnover.

"When one person helps another, that thread becomes visible," said businesswoman Eli Abad, a member of the Netmentora Board. "When we share knowledge, it becomes stronger. And when we leave our comfort zone, it multiplies. Today that thread has brought us here." To the fifth edition of the Impact Night, materialized in a scenario of open windows to the sky, which has made the entity dream of a future without ceilings: "As an organization we are reaching the limit," Morillas acknowledged.

And he added: "We need more partners. We had set out to accompany 40 projects, but the needs have grown and we need more business leaders to accompany these projects." They need more threads —and more connections— to continue weaving this network that grows and strengthens year after year.